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The Vancouver ProvinceSun, 02 Aug 2015 22:31:13 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.png » Tom Pettyhttp://blogs.theprovince.com
The Matinee play the Imperial on Saturdayhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/02/25/the-matinee-play-the-imperial-on-saturday/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/02/25/the-matinee-play-the-imperial-on-saturday/#commentsTue, 25 Feb 2014 19:29:12 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=145009Comprised of five friends who have known one another pretty much their entire lives, the Matinée first came to prominence when the band won third place in the 2011 Peak Performance Project. A record deal with Light Organ Records followed …]]>Comprised of five friends who have known one another pretty much their entire lives, the Matinée first came to prominence when the band won third place in the 2011 Peak Performance Project. A record deal with Light Organ Records followed and the quintet set about finding the right producer for its twangy roots rock sound.

They settled on Los Lobos saxophonist and producer Steve Berlin to record what went on to become seven tracks of the debut album We Swore We’d See The Sunrise.

Former Hot Hot Heat man Steve Bays helmed two more songs on the album including the anthemic Young & Lazy. The mix of country, roots, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers style rock and roll and more makes the band a real blast live and they are serious road warriors. It’s been quite awhile since the band played its home town and this weekend they bring the noise to Main Street’s newest venue, The Imperial.

Singer/lyricist Matt Layzell took some time to answer a few questions:

The Province: Now that you¹ve been touring We Swore We¹d See the Sunrise for most of the past year, do you sometimes regret the title? As in, have you seen more than your share of sunrises on the tour?

Matt Layzell: We hit the highways across Canada 4 times this year, and we can honestly say that catching that first glimpse of morning never gets old. Any day on tour is better than a day job, so I think it’s safe to say the only regrets we have are food related. They can lead to some funky smells in the van.

Q: The band seems to have fans in rock, country and pop circles. I guess this means you get some pretty interesting crowd mixes. Do you have a great audience tour tale for us?

A: We have certainly lucked out in that it seems we can play to just about any demographic…. Like when we played in the prison up in Prince George.

We also have many fans who bring their folks or their kids to our shows because we are a band they both can enjoy or bond over. Last summer, we spent a day off in Lake-Of-The-Woods, Ontario playing a Canada Day dock party on a private island. All these big boats pulled in and rafted right in front of us. We found out afterwards that most of them were millionaires. We didn’t get paid for that show, for the record.

Q: I love the video for Sweetwater. It¹s about time someone used the water taxis for a shoot. What¹s next, the new Capilano Cliffwalk?

A: That’s not a bad idea! We have been thinking of shooting in the Grouse Mtn tram too. For Sweetwater, we just told the driver of the boat to putt around False Creek and slipped him $50. Other taxis even came over to check to see if we were alright.

Q: The show at the Imperial is pretty cool. The Matinee playing in a converted movie theatre seems pretty appropriate.

A: Our very first photo shoot was done in the old Fox Theatre, the historic adult film house that ironically is now going to be a music venue. Let us be clear, that was the only time we’d set foot in there, and it was so dingy and creepy. We’ve heard nothing but great things about the Imperial and we’re excited to be playing our first hometown show in a long while in such a good room.

Q: What¹s the word on the next album?

A: We’ve been on a few writing trips in the gulf islands and have started working on the demos for a new release. Having toured so much last year, we have no shortage of new ideas and stories to share. No date just yet, but we’ll be recording new material shortly. You can bet we’ll be playing some of those new songs on March 1st!

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/02/25/the-matinee-play-the-imperial-on-saturday/feed/0the matineesderdeynCanucks looking for new intro song and need your help (VIDEO)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/25/canucks-looking-for-new-intro-song-and-need-your-help-video/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/25/canucks-looking-for-new-intro-song-and-need-your-help-video/#commentsFri, 25 Jan 2013 17:00:05 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=105259On the most recent episode of “The Legion of Blogcast”, myself and Wyatt Arndt discussed the Vancouver Canucks goal song and how much I hate it.

What didn’t make it into the conversation is how much I also hate …

]]>On the most recent episode of “The Legion of Blogcast”, myself and Wyatt Arndt discussed the Vancouver Canucks goal song and how much I hate it.

What didn’t make it into the conversation is how much I also hate the Canucks intro song as well, which as all Canucks fans know is U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”.

My hatred of it as the Canucks intro song has nothing to do with the opening lyrics “I want to run, I want to hide”. Okay, maybe that isn’t entirely true, that doesn’t really sit well with me either, but as far as lyrics go, I don’t think the intro song should strive to be as lyrically accurate as possible.

After all, what does it mean to be struck by thunder? Isn’t that impossible?

Isn’t it also a bit too polite to welcome someone to the jungle?

Was the Sandman invited or is he just entering illegally?

My problem with the song has more to do with the fact that it is played out after being used for the past 10 years or so. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of great memories of the Canucks skating out to the ring-a-ling guitar riff, but after the most recent NHL lockout I was hoping they would start fresh.

Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who was concerned about this, as Legion of Blog’s favourite NHL executive Laurence Gilman had his priorities set perfectly at the start of the season.

The Canucks have launched “Project NU2″, in which you can submit your choices for their new entrance song. You can visit the page on Canucks.com HERE and have your say in what is an incredibly important decision the year we win the Stanley Cup.

You know what? I think that decision might rank above “draft strategy” in terms of importance. But perhaps that is why I’m a sub-par pub DJ and not an NHL executive. Lack of education might be another reason.

My belief that all of a hockey team’s problems can be solved by this man may be another:

(The Canucks are about to be -1 on ice problem)

Whatever the reason I’m not a decision maker for the Vancouver Canucks, I’m extremely comforted knowing that those who are in power are focused and determined to fix the major issues facing the team right now.

Next up: fixing the logo!

(Yeah, we don’t have a “C”. We have a “TL”. Deal with it.)

So what are your suggestions for a new intro song? If I had to choose, (omitting obvious choices like Metallica and Rush and AC/DC ect) I’d have to choose this one…

The dream of winning a Stanley Cup is something the 2013 Canucks are most definitely running down. We should all act accordingly and let “Running Down the Dream” by Tom Petty remind us on a nightly basis where this team in going.

You can follow j.Bow on twitter (@jBowmancouver). Feel free to tweet him suggestions for the new Canucks intro song (just as long as there is no Alexisonfire on there. C’mon people, you’re better than that). Also, anyone suggesting “Gangnam Style” will be unfollowed with extreme prejudice.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/25/canucks-looking-for-new-intro-song-and-need-your-help-video/feed/1LaurenceGilmanNU2jbowman85(The Canucks are about to be -1 on ice problem)(Yeah, we don't have a "C". We have a "TL". Deal with it.)